What I Go to School For
by UnderdogAngel
Summary: She was a city girl & an outcast -downtrodden and discouraged at every turn. He was a country boy with big dreams and a big heart. Can they learn how to live their lives, or will their friendship get torn apart in the merciless world of high school?
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a funny crack fic I've been wanting to write. (At least, **_**I **_**find parts of it funny...) There are characters all over the place and in random places, but at least they're there! haha i.e., Rufus is running Shinra, and yet some of the Turks are still teenagers. Things like that. Oh, and OCs abound. There's, like...two, I think. *sweatdrop* Anyway, hope it's not too confusing, and you get a good laugh out of it ^.^**

**I first got the idea for this story when I saw some amazing artwork on deviantART by *chibiasta. (Go to my profile to see the picture links.) They depicted Zack, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith as students at a place called Shinra Academy. The thought of a fanfic was just too good to pass up.**

**Some parts of the story are based on the movie **_**Sixteen Candles**_** (LOVE), like the main OC's siblings' names, and things like that. Other parts are slightly based on the movie **_**Better Off Dead**_** (also LOVE). The title is taken from a song I used to listen to a lot... *sweatdrop* It just seemed fitting. The title may change, though, so watch out for that.**

**Lastly, I do not own **_**Final Fantasy VII, Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead,**_** the song the title's taken from, or any of the characters and dialogue involved. But a girl can dream, can't she?**

**But enough of all that. Let's get to the story, shall we? Enjoy! ^.^**

**-Chapter 1-  
****_or, I Thought It Would Be Just Another Day_**

I pulled my grey sweater vest over my head, then raised my hands to smooth down my hair. I walked over to the mirror in my room, tying the red ribbon around the collar of my white button-up shirt. I smoothed down my red pleated skirt, and looked at my reflection. I bit my lower lip, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, my silver wing earrings swinging around and gently touching my cheeks. I sighed, twisting the silver ring on my left ring finger and shaking the silver watch on my right wrist down my arm. I sighed again as I adjusted the necklace around my neck -a silver cassette tape, bedazzled with white crystals.

I ran a hand through my brown hair, looking at the highlights that had become even more blonde over vacation. I leaned close to the mirror and smoothed my black eyeliner, checking to make sure the whites of my eyes didn't look bloodshot from my late night on the computer. It really didn't matter whether they were or not, anyway. No one looked long enough to notice. If they did look, all the usually noticed was that I had blue eyes, if they saw that at all.

But they didn't see that my eyes were blue-green, and sometimes changed color in different light. They didn't see the faint scar below my mouth on the left side from where a dog had bit me when I was little, or the scar on my knee and the ones on my legs from falling on asphalt when I was a kid. They noticed that my fingernails were alternated two different colors all the time, but just long enough to call it "weird" that I didn't just paint them all one color.

They also noticed when I tripped and ran into walls and things, but just long enough to laugh, not to see if I was actually hurt or not.

I pinned a red hair ribbon in my hair, and sighed a third time. "As always," I said quietly, "this is as good as it's gonna get."

I pulled my red sneakers on my feet, then grabbed my phone, iPod, notebook, pens, and pencils and put them in my black bookbag. The bookbag emblazoned with the Shinra logo, and filled with red books with the same symbol printed on them, felt much heavier than usual that morning.

"Breakfast," my mom said in the same tone she used every morning as I walked by the kitchen.

I grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and held it up for her to see.

She sighed. "Honey, why don't you ever sit and eat breakfast anymore? I know how hungry you are in the morning..."

"She's not eating 'cause she thinks she's fat," my brother snorted.

I glared at him, then shuffled over to smack him in the back of the head.

"Ow!" he cried dramatically.

"Get over it, wimp," I snapped. "I do not think I'm fat."

"I should hope not," my sister said, coming down the stairs from her room. "You're skinny as a rail as it is now."

"Ginny..." Mom breathed in annoyance.

"And flat as a board." My brother laughed hysterically at his "joke", almost knocking over his bowl of cereal in the process.

I swear, if looks could kill, my brother would've turned into a pile of dust right then and there.

"Michael!" Mom snapped.

It was so hard to get a word in edgewise with my siblings around.

I sighed. "I'm just not hungry this morning, Mom," I assured her. "You know how much of an appetite I usually have. I'm fine." I turned and headed toward the door.

"Kelsey?"

I stopped and turned back around.

Mom walked over, something in her hand. "Here," she said. "Lunch money."

"Oh, right," I said, taking it and putting it in a zipper pocket in my bag. "Thanks, Mom."

She smiled tiredly at me, running a hand through her messy dirty-blonde hair. "Don't listen to your brother and sister, alright?"

I smiled a little. "Mom, do I ever?"

She laughed softly. "Have a good first day at school, alright?"

I nodded. "I'll sure do my best. Bye, Mom." I kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too. Now go, or you'll miss the train."

I nodded and left the house, my sneakers tapping on the stone steps as I went down them. I turned right down the street, and headed for the train station.

And that was how a typical morning went in the life of me, Kelsey James.

My idiotic little brother was Michael (or "Mike" when we weren't angry with him -which was hardly ever, in case you're wondering). My sanctimonious big sister was Ginny (yes, that was her real name). And I was caught in the middle, convinced I was the only one with any brains between the three of us. Of course, I wasn't saying I was a genius. But compared to them, I might as well have been one.

Mike was the most annoying little brat (I don't want to use the real word I often thought of him as) I'd ever met in my life. He was always making "jokes" about how he thought I saw myself, or how my body looked. I swear, if it wasn't against the law to committ murder, he would've been dead before he'd turned five. Now he was twelve, and I was about ready to carry out my plan for the perfect murder. Unfortunately, he was the only son, so I had to leave someone for Dad to relate to. How Mike and Dad related, I'll never know. It was almost impossible to think that Mike was actually -biologically- part of our family.

Ginny was -I won't sugar-coat this- a ditz. A pompous twit. She was twenty-two, blonde, and thought she was better than everyone in our family, not to mention her large circle of "friends", for lack of a better word. Oh, did I forget to mention that she was dating Rufus Shinra? Yeah, that just put her even higher on the humble meter. Note the sarcasm.

I don't know what Rufus saw in Ginny anyway. Yeah, she was pretty and all that, but she got all the blonde in the family. I wouldn't be surprised if someone X-rayed her head and found that it was empty. But, for whatever reason, Rufus _did_ like her, and came over for dinner with us at least once a week. My parents seemed okay with their relationship. And why wouldn't they be? He was practically the most powerful man in the city. Obviously, Ginny was in this thing for more than his looks. (Hint, hint, his money. Yes, my sister _was_ that shallow. She'd date any guy that told her he was a millionaire, no matter how he looked. And she'd believe him.)

Needless to say, a lot of fighting went on between the three of us siblings. Mom and Dad did their best to keep the peace, but it was hard when I was forced to remain silent most of the time, forced to listen to all their comments about me, the freaky middle child. Until I had so much pent up rage inside of me that I started screaming at them to shut up. Either that, or I would glare at them a lot and then trudge off to my room to cry and beat up my pillows. It was usually the latter those days.

I hated that what they said got to me the way it did. But it seemed I couldn't stop the effects of their words. To make matters worse, they didn't care how it affected me. Ginny would just sit there like, "Oh, you're such a child. I hate telling you these things, but why can't you see that they're true?" And Mike's reasons were anyone's guess. He just liked that he got to me, he didn't care why.

Skinny as a rail, I thought angrily, mocking Ginny's voice in my head. Flat as a board, I continued, mocking Mike's voice as well. I wish I could tie her to a train rail, and him to a board going through a buzzsaw. Then I could laugh maniacally like the bad guys in those old cartoons. You know, the ones who tie girls to railroad tracks and to logs in mills. They've usually got green skin or something and black handlebar mustaches. Things like that.

I stood on the platform, standing out among all the men and women who were wearing mute-colored suits. I saw people look me up and down, vaguely recognizing my uniform. Then they saw the logo on my bag, and it all made sense.

It was all clear on their faces. _"Oh. She's a student of Shinra Academy."_ Some looks were pleased, others indifferent, and still others were annoyed and angry. It was the same every morning. I didn't care much anymore.

A gust of wind rushed past as the train pulled into the station. The quickly moving air scattered scraps of paper, candy wrappers, and old newspapers away from the tracks, swirling and swerving in and around the people on the platform.

The doors to the train opened, and people started filing out the other side onto another platform. Meanwhile, those of us who had been waiting for the train started boarding. The motion detectors inside the doors continually asked for tickets in their robot voices as people passed. The people emotionlessly raised their tickets or passes and put them under the scanner, some not even waiting for the robot's request to be finished. Then the scanner thanked them and kindly asked them to take a seat or hold onto a handrail.

The same every morning. Over and over again.

I took my customary seat near the back of the car, setting my bag at my feet. I took out my iPod and put my earbuds in my ears, canceling out most of the sounds around me. I leaned my head against the cool metal of the train wall, looking out the window at the bustling people.

Sleepy children being tugged along or carried by cajoling parents. Men and women in suits on their cell phones. Homeless men and women panhandling from their places along the walls of the platform. A few kids my age running towards the train's open doors, all of them wearing uniforms like mine. (Exept for the guys, of course, who wore black pants instead of skirts.)

I watched these things as if I were watching a montage in a movie. The music set the background and tone, and it was up to me -the viewer- to take in all the details I could.

_"Stand clear of the doors,"_ the robot instructed. _"Doors are closing. Train is leaving station."_

I watched the people in the station until we pulled away. Then I looked at the partly cloudy sky, still not the vibrant blue I knew it was going to become. The morning sky of Midgar was a sight indeed. It was tinged with the colors of sunrise, the colors reflecting off the ever-present clouds (that came from Shinra's headquarters) and cloaking the stars in light, turning them invisible.

As the train chugged along the tracks, leaving Sector 2 behind and heading for Sector 0, the sky grew a little lighter, showing signs of actually letting the sun appear and officially make it day.

When the robot announced that we had arrived in Sector 0, I took my headphones off and tucked my iPod back away. The brakes screeched as the train stopped, and I stood from my seat. The other Academy students stood as well.

Some of them were dreading another year of high school school. Others were nervous about friends, or the possibility of a pop quiz on the first day, or both. Some were excited to go to school that day, to start anew (or so they thought).

As for yours truly...I wasn't quite sure. It was...just another day of school. I didn't expect it to be any different than the (seemingly) hundreds that had come before it. Another day sitting silently in class, doodling maybe. Another day eating lunch alone, listening to the popular kids laugh and talk about how great they were. Another day of ignoring the comments about me, "the weird loner girl", and the wondering looks they gave me. Which was sure to be followed by a whole year of days that mirrored it down to the most minute detail.

I don't know why none of the other kids approached me, or ever tried to make friends with me. Was I intimidating? Scary? Or was it simply that I was too different for their taste? So I liked sitting alone and writing and drawing and reading. Did that make me a freak?

I lagged along behind the other students, envying their excited talk of vacation and fun times they'd had. I tried not to listen, but it was difficult not to. I wished I had stories to tell beyond how I helped at my parents' bookstore all vacation long. Not that I minded that, but it just didn't make for a very interesting story, you know?

So it's the first day of my last year of high school, I thought as I sat down in my desk in homeroom. I set my bag next to my desk, making sure it was leaning up against my chair and not falling over. Why should I expect anything to be different?

But, with one simple sentence...everything changed.

"Students, I would like to introduce you to our new student..."

**Yes, rather short...but I just can't resist a good cliffhanger :) If you liked it so far, let me know! I'll keep posting, though, even if I don't get reviews. 'Cause I've been working and rewriting on this story now for a while, and it's high-time I posted it. *nods* So there. Heh. But I really would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter! Thanks for reading! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

**YAY! Someone's reading this! haha Thanks, run4life (a.k.a. Megan)! Your review made me VERY happy! Aaanddd, let's see if you guessed correctly! (I LOVE high school crack fics. They're so crazy fun to write, even with their serious sides! haha) *salutes* I promise to start reading your FFVII fic THIS WEEK! Keep pestering me! ^.^**

**To anyone else who may be reading this, I'd love to know your thoughts. If you get the chance, leave me a little message! Thank you! Enjoy the chapter ^.^**

**-Chapter 2-  
**_**or, I Give the Newbie a Guided Tour**_

Our homeroom teacher had the attention of every student in the classroom with that statement. Even the black-haired goths who sat in the back of the room scratching curse words into their desks and glaring off into space. Even the jocks who'd been discussing some amazing play in a game they'd gone to. Even the preppy populars, who surprisingly set aside their gossip magazines and nail files to listen.

Our teacher, Mrs. Allen, smiled at our rapt attention, then looked at the new student she was about to introduce to us.

He looked seventeen or eighteen to me. He must've been at least six feet tall, though, not including his black spiky hair. His eyes were a really intense blue. From how far away I was, I couldn't tell if they were just that deep blue, or if they were a variation of blue-green similar to mine. He had a single, round silver earring in his left ear, and a silver Shinra Academy ring on his right ring finger. (Every student had one, but hardly anyone except the populars wore them.)

I looked him up and down, trying to see what clique he would fall into. If you went by his body type, he'd be a jock, no doubt. He'd be a popular jock. I'll just be blunt about it: He was hot. Of course, I'd never actually say that out loud. I'd call him handsome or good-looking, but never hot. It was one of those words that I just didn't say.

I glanced around, trying to see the reactions of the other students. Upon doing this, I noticed the location of the only empty desk in the class: Right between myself and the most popular and beautiful girl in our school, Aerith Gainsborough.

Aerith reminded me of Ginny in some ways. She wasn't quite as hoity-toity, but she was still somewhat stuck up. Her family ran some flower shops or something around Midgar, and she was praised for her amazing work with plants and flowers and such. She had a ton of friends, and was the class vice-representative. She'd had every guy in the school in love with her since the moment she first walked through the doors of Shinra Academy. FYI, that was the same day I started school there, back in middle school. There'd been no rejoicing over me. I was just another new student. Whereas Aerith had been named a goddess. Go figure.

I exhaled quietly, turning my attention back to the front of the class. Great, I thought. Another Aerith-worshipper joins the ranks. And I'm still the old shoe that sits two seats over from her.

Mrs. Allen put her hand on the new guy's shoulder. "Class, this is our new student, Zachary Fair. He just moved here from Gongaga, so he's not quite as city-savvy as I know all of you are. Let's try to make him feel welcome, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," the class replied in mixed tones of happy, bored, and annoyed.

A country boy, huh? I thought. Should be interesting.

Mrs. Allen smiled and looked at Zachary. "Welcome to Shinra Academy, Zack. You can take the empty seat between Aerith and Kelsey, alright?"

Zack smiled widely at her. "Okay! Thanks!"

Well, isn't he the excited one? I thought dryly. Probably because he's thinking something like, "Score! A seat next to the hot girl!"

Aerith twirled a strand of hair around her finger and smiled flirtatiously at Zack.

Zack smiled back and sat down.

And so it begins, I thought, opening up my notebook and pulling out a pen.

"Kelsey?"

I snapped my head up and looked at Mrs. Allen. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You know this campus pretty well, right?"

"Uh, well, I only get lost about once a week, if that's what you'd call 'knowing the campus'," I said.

Scattered chuckles rippled through the classroom.

Mrs. Allen smiled and laughed softly.

Little did they know I was serious.

"Then could I trouble you to show Zack around the campus and help him out with getting to know the routine?"

I stared blankly at her, gripping my pen so tightly that I thought I was going to snap it in half.

"I took the liberty of looking at your class schedules, and they happen to be the same." She looked at me. "Do you think you could do that?"

I shifted my gaze to look at Zack.

He smiled at me, waving a little.

I had to smile back. His smile seemed contagious. "Uh, sure, Mrs. Allen. I can do that."

Aeirth leaned back in her seat to look at me. She looked disappointed, and a little jealous.

Mrs. Allen smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Kelsey. Alright, class, let's start today by discussing what your responsibilites will be as third-years. Since you will be graduating at the end of this school year..."

I listened to what she was saying, and looked at what she wrote on the board, so it probably looked like I was taking notes. But I wasn't. I was writing out some song lyrics and doodling pictures to go along with them.

I heard everything she said about special projects and field trips and events, but none of it interested me very much. It wasn't like I'd be going to any of the dances, or be asked to be a partner on any projects, or actually have fun on any field trips they'd suggest.

Being a loner had its pros. Like not having to worry about drama. But it also had its cons. Like loneliness.

The bell rang about a half-hour later, signaling the end of class.

"Alright, off to your classes, students. Have a wonderful first day," Mrs. Allen said.

I closed my notebook and put it and my pen back in my bag, folding the bag closed. Then I stood, shrugging the bag onto my shoulder.

Zack stood from his desk and smiled at me again. Can I just say what a great smile he had?

"Seeing as we're going to be spending some time togther, I think I should introduce myself properly." He held out his hand. "I'm Zack Fair."

I smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Kelsey James. Nice to meet you." Our hands fell to our sides. "I'll do my best not to get you lost in this place, but I can't make promises."

He followed me towards the front of the class, laughing. "No worries. Getting lost is half the fun."

"At least, more fun than actually going to class, right?"

He laughed again.

"Zack."

We stopped and looked at Mrs. Allen.

She stood from her desk and handed him a slip of white paper. "Here's your locker number and combination. If you have any trouble with it, I'm sure Kelsey will be able to help you."

"Yeah, I always keep a spare hammer around to beat these lockers into opening."

Zack laughed, looking at me.

"Well, I think you two will get along just fine. Now get to class."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, bowing a little and then turning to leave the classroom.

Zack jogged to catch up, falling into step next to me as we swerved through the busy hallway.

I ignored the first and second-years awed looks at Zack. It wasn't often we got a new student at the Academy, so it was a pretty big deal for Zack to be there. It was only natural they'd stare.

"What's your locker number?" I asked.

Zack unfolded the piece of paper and looked at it. "Looks like...987."

"Really?" I asked, looking at the paper.

"Is that some sort of special locker or something?" he asked, smiling.

"No, it's just that that's only five down from mine."

"Perfect!" he said.

I laughed a little and looked at him. I guess I should make some sort of conversation, I though. "So why'd you move to Midgar? Gongaga not exciting enough?"

"Not nearly," he laughed. "And I've got this dream... Midgar was the only place I could come to make it happen."

"Mm," I said, nodding. "That's cool. You seem like a determined person, so I'm sure you'll get whatever dream you've got in mind."

He smiled. "Thanks. How can you tell that about me already?"

I shrugged. "People-watching is a pasttime of mine. I get good at reading people. Getting vibes, you know?"

"Uh...huh," he said, nodding.

I smiled. "Yeah, it sounds kinda weird, I know."

"No, it's just... You already read me as a determined person, and I haven't even got you pinpointed yet."

"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a little.

"Well, you seemed really...detatched in class. I noticed you were doodling and things. You didn't seem like a very involved person, and yet you're making conversation with me and cracking jokes and things."

I exhaled. "Yeah, well...I'm sure by the end of the day, you'll have most of those things figured out. Our lockers are just up here." I walked to mine and picked up the padlock. "Clear the dial by spinning to the right, then stop on the first number. Then spin to the left to get to the second, to the right for the third, and voila." I pulled the lock off and opened my locker. "Give it a try on yours, and holler if you can't get it."

"Okay," he said, and then he walked down to his locker.

I sighed. "Oy, yoy, yoy, yoy, yoy..." I breathed, taking out the books I needed for my next class- The History Of Shinra. As you can see, they save the really interesting classes for your third year. Yay sarcasm.

I closed my locker and hooked the lock back on, locking it and clearing the dial. Then I went down to see how Zack was doing.

He was glaring frustratedly at the padlock, and biting his lower lip.

"Having trouble?" I asked.

He looked at me. "You got that hammer you mentioned?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "Here, let me see your combination."

"Promise you won't tell it to anyone?"

"I'm the best secret-keeper in the world. I promise." I looked at his combination and picked up the padlock. "Okay, watch. Spin right first..." It felt like he was watching me instead of the lock, but what did I know? "And...number three." I pulled down, and the lock came open.

He looked at the open lock incredulously. "What, do you have some special lock-opening materia in your watch?"

I laughed. "No, I just know how to work these things. I had the same problem when I started school here. Except I didn't have any help, so I had to lug around all my books for a month until the janitor finally figured out that I had a broken lock. Our first class is History of Shinra," I said as he looked through his books.

"Thanks," he said, putting his book in his bag. "That stinks that you got a broken lock." He smiled at me. "Guess it's a good thing I've got a friend to help out, right?"

I nodded. "Right. We'd better get to class. I hear Mr. Lazard is a stikler about tardiness."

"Well, can't mess up our records, now can we?" Zack asked, closing his locker and putting the lock back on.

"Classroom's down this way," I said, pointing down the hallway. "Let's go."

**;;;;;**

History was filled with old movie reels and faded photographs, and lots of dates and names. I almost fell asleep, but, luckily, the bell woke me up before the lights came back on.

"Well, if I can keep all the Shinras straight, this should be a pretty easy class," Zack said, looking like he was ready for a nap as well.

"No kidding," I agreed, nodding. "Who knew there were so many of 'em? And couldn't they have been a little less...opulent with the names?"

"Seriously!" Zack said. "Like that one guy's name. What was it...? Something that started with an X that seemed impossible to pronounce."

I laughed. "Yeah, that one."

He smiled at me. "So what's next, teach?"

After History was a class I was actually looking forward to: Materia Fusion.

"Think we'll get to blow anything up?" Zack asked as we made our way to the lab.

"I think we need written permission from our parents for that one," I replied.

"Darn..." Zack said, snapping his fingers.

I laughed as we turned down the hallway to the classroom.

"Well, well, well," a voice said.

I jumped and flattened myself against the nearest wall.

Zack turned and looked at me. "You okay?"

"Uh...I'll get back to you on that," I said nervously. "Um, let's just get to class-"

"Kelsey James, as I live and breathe."

I closed my eyes, set my jaw, and sighed. I turned on my heel and smiled a fake smile (that I knew looked fake). "Hello, Kunsel."

"Ah, so you do remember me," he said, smiling as he walked closer.

"Hard to forget the guy who claimed to know every inner working of my mind better than even I did."

Zack raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

I glanced at him and sighed. "Kunsel, I thought you said you were dropping out of school."

He waved a hand dismissvely. "The words of a broken heart still in love."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Get a life, Kunsel, and stay away from mine." I turned and headed for the classroom.

"Oh, but you forget, dearest Kelsey, that this is a lab class. That means lab partners."

I gave him a look. "You're tripping if you think I'm going to be your lab partner."

"Well, we shall see if anyone else volunteers to be your partner, Kelsey." He ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "We are meant to be, and I shall make you see this one way or another."

Kunsel turned and walked into the lab.

I hung my head and sighed heavily.

"Where did you get him?" Zack asked.

"He's here on a trail period," I said. "We think he can replace mono."

Zack laughed softly. "I wouldn't worry about him. I'm sure you won't get him as a lab partner."

"Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trust me."

I sighed. "Whatever. Let's just get inside. Then I can melt into a puddle and disappear until he _does_ finally ditch school."

"What did he mean, 'the words of a broken heart'?"

I rolled my eyes. "I said I didn't wanna be his girlfriend, and he said he was gonna drop out, committ suicide, and all this other heinous stuff that I knew he would never do."

"Kind obsessed, huh?"

"Ya think?" I asked. Though I have no idea _why_, I added in my head.

Zack laughed.

We walked into the classroom, and searched for two empty seats. I went to the third counter, seat closest to the wall. Zack sat at the counter in front of me, aisle seat.

I never really understood why people were so weird about getting seats in lab classes since they were just going to get mixed up anyway with partner assignments. But people will be people, I guess.

Partner assignments went like this: A girl's name was called off a roster. Anyone -boy or girl- who wanted to be her partner would raise their hand. If there was more than one, the teacher chose one at random. If a girl chose to be a girl's partner, both names were crossed off the list, and then the next girl was called.

Unfortunately for some, the names weren't in alphabetical order. For a man of science, it seemed Professor Markham had this thing for random order. At any rate, all partner volunteering was pretty standstill-ish until Aerith's name was called. Then every person in the class (except yours truly...and possibly Kunsel) was jumping up and down to get the chance to be the fabulous Aerith's lab partner. And I knew this year was going to be especialy crazy since she was a third-year now. Last chances at this and all that.

Why is she even in Materia Fusion? I wondered. I thought she was all about natural healing and herbs and crap. Whatever. Doesn't matter to me. Though, I have to admit, I'd rather have her as a lab partner than Kunsel. I'd rather have Mike _and_ Ginny as lab partners than Kunsel. Well, maybe not both of them...

Professor Markham introduced himself, welcomed us to the class, and congratulated us on making it to our final year of high school -pretty much the same spiel we'd be getting five more times that day. "Now, so we can get started with our first lesson, let's begin with everyone's favorite game, Pick Your Lab Partner."

Everyone mock-cheered, and Markham laughed.

"Now, when I call the name of who you want to be lab partners with _for the rest of the semester_-" I hated how much emphasis teachers put on that phrase. "-just raise your hand. But, if you've already been assigned, you may not raise your hand again. If you do not raise your hand at all, you will be assigned to a partner at random. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," we replied.

"Very well, then. Let's get started."

Names were called, and hands were raised to be partners. About ten in, the dreaded moment came.

"Kelsey James."

I thought Kunsel was going to have an attack just raising his hand. He had this really triumphant smirk on his face, assured that he would be my lab partner.

He'd once said -to my face- that it was obvious no other guys in the school liked me. I, naturally, was greatly insulted that he'd pointed out that oh-so-obvious-but-unspoken fact to me. He covered it up by saying that they just couldn't see all the things he saw in me.

Why did I always seem to attract the crazies? The guys, at any rate...

I smacked my palm against my forehead, shaking my head. I'm doomed, I thought. Forced into a whole year of Kunsel staring at me and hitting on me while I try to fuse volatile magics. I know! I'll just make a Death materia and use it on him! Brilliant...

Quiet murmurings filled the classroom, and I looked up.

"Well...seems Ms. James is quite popular this year."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Zack had his hand raised.

He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.

I just stared at him, my mouth hanging open.

I knew why the rest of the class was as shocked as I was. There hadn't been more than one hand raised for someone ever...except for Aerith. Even Aerith was staring at Zack in shock. She was probably thinking, "What? ! He didn't want to be MY lab partner? He wants to be that little shrew's lab partner? !"

I was wondering the same thing, honestly.

"Professor," Zack spoke up, "Kelsey is my student mentor, and I feel it is important that we stay together, especially since this is the first semester of our final year of secondary schooling. I know she has a great knowledge of materia and its uses, and I feel I, a new student, could greatly benefit from her superior intellect."

Funny, he didn't look it.

Professor Markham looked surprised, but nodded. "Very well, then. Since Kunsel has already had the opportunity of being Ms. James' lab partner, you may have the...honor, Mr..." He looked at his clipboard. "Fair, is it?"

"Yes, sir," Zack said, his tone making it clear he was smiling. "Zack Fair."

Markham nodded, and scribbled it down on his clipboard. "Alright, moving on... Aerith Gainsborough."

The class quickly snapped from their shock and started jumping up and down to be Aerith's partner, just like I had preditcted.

But Aerith was still staring at me in confused shock, her green eyes wide. I guess she'd had other fantasies going through her mind than what had just happened.

I didn't care. I was spared from the Kunsel! YES! I may not have known this Zack Fair very well, but NO KUNSEL, SO WHO CARES? !

**;;;;;**

Pick Your Lab Partner ended some time later, and any unassigned students were quickly assigned to other students.

"Alright. If your name was called, remain in your seat. If you raised your hand to be a partner, please move to sit in the seat next to your new partner. These will be your assigned seats _for the rest of the semester_."

See what I mean?

I stared at Zack, still incredulous, as he moved to sit next to me.

He grinned. "Told ya," he said. "You didn't get the obsessed stalker as a partner. Didn't I tell ya to trust me?"

I stared at him as a smile slowly spread across my face. I nodded. "Y'know, Zack, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship," I said in a mobster accent.

He laughed.

"Thanks," I said, dropping the accent. "I was already plotting what sort of materia to make to get rid of him."

He thought for a moment. "What if you used Frog, caught him, and put him in the second-year Biology lab?"

I pressed my hands over my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. My shoulders shook with quiet laughs, and he tried to suppress his own laughter. "Ah, you're an evil genius, aren't you?"

"I am! Thanks for noticing," he said, grinning.

The classroom grew quiet as class started and books opened. We learned about the basics of materia fusion, and the kind of combinations you could make.

Zack's favorite part was the section on combinations _not_ to make. He said it would be good to keep those in mind in case a prank was necessary.

"You must've been the life of the town back in Gongaga," I said quietly as I scanned the list.

He smirked. "Yeah, you might say that. I pulled the best pranks, at any rate."

I laughed softly. "Well, let's not pull anything major until you lose the 'new kid' status, a'ight?"

He nodded. "Okay, good idea."

**;;;;;**

After Materia Fusion was Physical Education, which was known at Shinra Academy as Self-Defense and Martial Arts (or, in smaller circles, it was just shortened to S&M. Hey, even preps got bored). It was mostly learning technique and sparring with other students. It was pretty fun, actually. At least, when you got to take out people instead of falling flat on your face. Not saying I was the best in the class, but I was pretty good. Of course, it was usually girls I fought, since there was a rule about guys and girls fighting (understandably) in that class.

Naturally, there were students that refused to take the class, saying it was against their beliefs to fight like that. Yeah, you know who I mean. Aerith. And her little wannabe cronies followed her example, sitting off to the side gabbing and texting with her. And they still got credit for the class! What kind of system was this? !

Anyway, after Materia Fusion, we headed for the gym.

"Guys' locker room is down the hall," I said, heading for the girls' locker room.

Zack blinked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Aren't you supposed to show me the whole campus?" he asked, grinning.

I rolled my eyes. "Get your mind outta the gutter," I said, smacking him the back of the head. "And go get changed. I'll see you out there."

"Uh-huh. Thanks, Kelsey," he said defeatedly.

I laughed and went into the locker room.

I found my locker and stuffed my bag inside, pulling out my gym clothes.

As far as gym clothes went, girls wore white T-shirts -red piping around the sleeves and neck, and the school logo on the front- and red cotton capris. Sort of like sweatpants. (Aerith and crew also insisted that they wouldn't wear "those hideous gym clothes." Psh, wimps.) Guys wore similiar shirts, and red basketball shorts. We wore our customary red sneakers (for girls) and black sneakers (for guys) as well.

I pulled my gym shirt down over my head, and took a couple hair clips off a stray hair tie in my locker. Since my hair wasn't long enough to pull back into a ponytail (it went just about to my shoulders), I usually just clipped back any stray hairs, and I was fine.

I was about to go out into the gym, when I heard a familiar voice.

"I can't believe the new guy picked her over me," Aerith said. Her voice was clipped, tight, and clearly ticked off. "What's she got that I haven't got?"

For someone who didn't approve of fighting, Aerith sure was catty.

"Absolutely nothing," one of her friends said, trying to comfort her.

"But did you see the way they were talking in Materia? !" Aerith practically whined. "They were talking and laughing and, and..."

"So?" another friend said. "It's his first day. Give it a chance. He'll notice you, girl. He'd be blind if he didn't."

Aerith sniffled. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right."

"Just in case, though, we'll have a backup plan to get rid of that Kelsey."

Aerith and her friends laughed.

"Good idea," Aerith said.

I sighed angrily and went into the gym.

Their laughter turned into whispering as I walked by.

I did my best to ignore them, angry, frustrated, hurt tears stinging my eyes. Apparently, it wasn't okay with Aerith for me to try to have at least one friend.

I blinked furiously as I went to join the students sitting in the mat on the floor, waiting for the arrival of our teacher, Mr. Grueber (you wouldn't believe how many jokes had been made about his name).

Zack waved me over, and I mustered up a (hopefully) convincing smile and waved back.

"You okay?" he asked as I sat down next to him.

I blinked at him for a moment. That was the first time anyone had asked me that within the confines of the Academy. I went into a momentary state of shock. "Yeah," I finally said, "I'm alright. You get your locker open okay?"

"No, I had to beat it open, but it's okay," he said, smiling.

I laughed. "Darn, I could've lent you my hammer."

We both laughed, but stopped short when the gym door opened. In fact, all conversations among the students stopped. That was just the effect Grueber had on people.

His eyes scanned over us for a few moments, silent. "Third-years," he said, his strong voice echoing off the back wall of the gym."Welcome to the first day of your last year. You've worked hard to make it to where you are. But don't think the hard work has ended. Especially in this class. Like I've told you every year before this one, I want you to give 110 percent. Are we understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir," we replied, Zack looking quite confused.

"Then get up on your feet," he instructed. "Boys on the front line, girls on the back line. Let's warm up before we see how much muscle mass you all lost over vacation."

We did scretches and all that, and even ran suicides up and down the court (my least favorite thing to do, even though I was one of the fastest). But, seriously, the hardest thing to endure was all the girls talking about Zack. Like I said, a new kid was a novelty 'round those parts, but it was like they'd never seen a guy before or something.

"Looks like we've got a new contender for fastest runner," Grueber said, nodding approvingly at Zack.

He smiled. "Thanks."

I smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, and he smiled back.

"Alright, class. Time for sparring. Girls up first." He looked at us, his eyes scanning over us again. "James."

My back stiffened.

"You were last year's champion, were you not?"

My face flushed red, and I felt Zack's surprised gaze on me. "Yes, sir," I said.

"Let's see if you've still got it. You'll sparr with..." He chose some random girl that I vaguely knew, and she stood and followed me onto the mat.

We each took a spot across from each other on the mat, inside a circle made of duct tape.

"The first one to get knocked out of the circle loses. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," we said togther.

"Then...begin!"

**;;;;;**

"I can't believe it!" Zack was literally bouncing up and down with excitement.

"What're you freaking about?" I asked as we walked toward the cafeteria. "It was just a sparring match."

"Yeah! But you took down every girl he put against you! And without even breaking a sweat! Ah, that was amazing!"

My face flushed again. "Thanks." I looked at him. "I should warn you, though. Since you're new, he's probably going to want to see what you've got."

"Ah, no worries," he said, shrugging. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He looked at me. "So you must be pretty popular around here, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, trying my best not to laugh. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you're one of the fastest runners, you're the best fighter..."

"That's what happens when you're a middle child," I said. "You learn how to run, and you learn how to fight."

"You have siblings?"

"Yep," I said. "An older sister and a younger brother."

He exhaled. "That's rough."

"You're telling me," I said. "Anyway, just because I'm good in S.D.M.A.-" (The "accepted" abbreviation for P.E.)

"And brilliant at Materia Fusion and History."

I laughed. "It's only the first day of classes!"

"I can read people."

"Oh, uh-huh," I said sarcastically, smiling. "Sure. But don't think that any of that stuff makes me popular."

"So what _does_ make you popular at Shinra Academy?" he asked as we walked into the cafeteria.

"Just three basic things, Zack." I held up one finger for each thing I said. "Looks, money, and presence."

"What do you mean, presence?"

I was about to answer when the doors to the cafeteria opened, and Aerith and crew walked in. The room fell silent, except for murmurings of awe as they walked past.

"That's presence," I said quietly.

Aerith and her friends sat down at their customary table, and the rest of the seats quickly filled with other preps and jocks. They started talking and laughing almost immediately, choking down bites of their lunches in between stories and comments.

I rolled my eyes and got my usual lunch: a can of apple juice and a cheese sandwich. Oh, and a bag of chips.

Zack picked out his food and followed me away from the line.

"Just letting you know, you can sit with the populars if you want. I'll understand if you don't wanna sit with me. I'm sure they'd let you sit over there, if you asked."

He smiled at me. "And leave my student mentor? Never."

I shrugged. "It's your social suicide."

"Uh, what?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Never mind."


	3. Chapter 3

**FEAR NOT! I AM ALIVE!**

**Wow, I was really gone for a long time. *sweatdrop* My bad, everyone! But, don't worry! I am FINALLY updating!**

**EEP People are reading this! :D That makes me so happy! ^.^ Thank you so much, run4life (Meg), Sayonara Yasashii Akumu,a nd SoupieLuv! :D**

**Sayonara: Yes, a new story! Thank you so much! ^.^**

**run4life (Meg): I MUST READ YOUR STORY KILL ME I'M SUCH A BAD PERSON. *falls to your feet* I am SO SORRY! I promise I will read it! Please keep reminding me! Hit me with a rock if you must! *hides* hahaha**

**HAHAHA New hot guy... That made me laugh SO HARD ;D hahaha Aerith-bashing is just so easy -one of my favorite pastimes, definitely. xD Seriously, right? Ack. HAHA I loved writing the first conversations between the two... Such fun that was ^.^ Well, Kunsel's a total stalker in the game! Er, I think he is. o.o hahaha I've had a few experiences myself :\ Not fun. heh. Yeah, SDMA probably WOULD be illegal in our world XD But it would be awesome, yesh! :D Heeehee, it certainly is... My bestie calls me an underdog, so I love writing those characters. Heck, it's even part of my username! haha Awwww! :3 I certainly hope we can! We'll have to see how the story goes... haha Thank you so much! And I promise to start reading soon!**

**SoupieLuv: Thank you so much for reading! :D Here is an update! ^.^**

**A'ight, here goes!**

**-Chapter 3-  
_or, Lunch _**

I ignored the weird looks I was getting. Or rather, the looks my table was getting. Usually, it was just me sitting at that table, alone. Now that I had someone else with me, it was like I was even more of an alien.

"Are you sure you wanna be seen eating with me?" I asked.

"Kelsey, really, it's fine. I don't care what the populars think of me," Zack said. "I'm here to go to school, not to climb the social ladder."

I smiled a little, tapping my nail on my juice can. That sort of answer was very...refreshing.

"So you usually sit here alone, am I right?"

"Yeah," I said, opening my chips. "I read or write or draw or something. I haven't had to make conversation at lunch since elementary school."

"That surprises me."

I tilted my head to the side. "Why?"

"Because you're such a good conversationalist," he said, smiling. "I mean, it's still day one, and I already know you're a middle child along with all the other things you've told me."

"And yet I don't know about how you grew up," I said, smiling back. "Are you an only child?"

"Yeah," he said. "Just me, Mom, and Dad."

"Did they move here with you?"

"No, they're still in Gongaga."

I stared at him. "They let you come alone?"

"Yep," he said.

"Where are you living?"

"Here in Sector 0," he said. "Shinra put me up in an apartment."

I blinked at him. "Wait, wait, wait," I said, waving my hand. "So you're living here _by yourself_ in an _apartment_?"

"Yeah," he said, like I was slow. (I was a little slow, to be honest.) "Is...that so weird?"

"That is so cool! I can't believe it! I wish I could live on my own already."

"You don't like it at home?" he asked.

"Mom and Dad are fine, but I could do without Mike and Ginny."

He looked at me for a moment, and it looked like he was mouthing "Ginny James." "Ginny..." he said aloud. "As in, girlfriend of Rufus Shinra?"

"The one and only," I said dryly, crunching down on a chip. "You know Rufus?"

"Only by reputation," Zack said, taking a drink from his bottle of water.

"Lucky you," I said. "He's over at my house at least once a week. It's ridiculous. I wish Ginny would just get her own place already. Then there would be less witnesses to Mike's murder."

"He's that bad?' Zack asked.

"You have no idea," I said.

He laughed.

"Believe me, if you spent just five minutes with him, you'd be ready to kill him, too."

He laughed again. "I do hope I get the pleasure someday."

"Maybe," I said, smiling.

"E-excuse me," a voice stuttered.

We looked up towards the end of the table.

A young boy, maybe fifteen years old, looked back at us with bright blue eyes wide. Peeking from behind his spiky blonde hair was a girl who looked about the same age, her big brown eyes filled with curiosity. She tugged on a strand of dark brown hair nervously.

"Um, do you mind if we sit here?" the boy asked. "All the other tables are full."

"Not at all," I said.

They both smiled and sat down across from each other.

I looked at them for a moment. "I don't think I've seen you two here before," I said.

"It's our first day," the girl said excitedly. "We just moved here from Nibelheim."

So the first-years got some new students, too, I thought.

"We've got something in common," Zack said to them, smiling. "It's my first day, too. I'm Zack." He held his hand out to the boy.

The boy nervously shook his hand. "I'm Cloud."

"Hi, I'm Annie," the girl said happily.

"I'm Kelsey," I said, shaking her hand.

"You're third-years, right?" Cloud asked.

"Yep," I said. "So what do you think of the place so far?"

"It's sort of...intimidating," Cloud said.

"But exciting, too!" Annie chimed in.

"Don't worry," I said. "You'll get the hang of it."

"Thanks," Cloud said, smiling a little.

I crumpled up my trash and stood from the table. "Excuse me. I'll be right back."

Zack carried on the conversation as I walked away, asking Annie and Cloud about Nibelheim, and talking about Gongaga.

I smiled to myself as I walked over to the trash can to throw my trash away.

"More newbies."

I glanced over at Aerith's table.

"I hear they're from Nibelheim."

"Probably hicks. Geez, the school's becoming infested with them."

"Oh, there're only three of 'em. Besides, the freak's making friends with 'em."

"I thought the freak couldn't make friends."

"Only with hicks."

They laughed.

"Though, that little blonde one _is_ pretty cute," Aerith said.

"You'd date a younger guy? !" her friend asked in shock.

She snorted. "Only as a last resort. No, I've got my eye on the one in our class... Why didn't Mrs. Allen assign me as his tour guide or whatever? As vice-representative, it's practically my duty."

"You are so right," her friend agreed.

"No worries, girls." I could hear the grin in Aerith's voice. "I predict, by the end of the week, Zack Fair will be sitting at this table with us, and that little freak Kelsey will be completely out of the picture."

"You don't actually think she's competition, do you?"

"Of course not," Aerith laughed. "I think Zack's just distracted by her strange idea of wit, and her pretty eyes."

I brushed my hair out of my eyes.

"I'm sure he'll see the light soon enough. He'll realize just how weird she is, and he'll be begging to sit over here."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, look at her!"

I could feel all their eyes on my back, daggers burrowing into my flesh.

"She's skinny as a rail. Flat as a board. She wouldn't be able to hold any guy's attention for more than one day if her life depended on it."

"Except that weirdo Kunsel."

"Aw!" they fake-gushed. "Kelsey and Kunsel!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, and turned away from the wall I'd been staring at. I quickly made my way across the cafeteria to the exit door, Aerith's and her friends' laughter following in my wake.

"Kelsey-senpai?" I heard Annie ask.

I also heard Zack excuse himself from the table, and knew he was coming after me.

I went to my tree (I'd claimed it, so it was mine) and jumped up to grab onto the lowest branch. I quickly swung myself up on it, and climbed higher.

"Kelsey!" His footsteps were getting closer.

I curled up onto the branch, tucking my skirt under my legs.

He stopped under the tree and looked around.

I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't look up.

The bell rang in the distance, and he looked around one more time before sighing and heading back inside.

Once I was sure he was gone, I hopped down out of the tree, landing softly on the grass. I exhaled and headed back inside, hoping I could come up with a believable excuse about needing some air. I bit my lip as I fought back tears. I may have acted like what people thought of me didn't matter to me...but, honestly, it hurt.

"Kelsey." Zack sounded relieved. "What happened? Where'd you go?"

I blinked at him, hoping he couldn't tell that I was about to cry. "What do you mean? I just stepped outside to get some air."

"You were practically running out of here."

I exhaled.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," I said. "I just needed to get some air. I'm fine." I walked back to our table and got my bag. "We'd better get to class."

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded and followed. "You sure you're okay?"

_"Skinny as a rail... Flat as a board."_

"I'm fine," I said, smiling. "What happened to Annie and Cloud?"

"They went back to class, too."

And, with that, the subject of my mental, emotional, and physical state was dropped.

"What's our next class?" Zack asked as we neared our lockers.

"Advanced Robotics," I said.

He looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're seriously taking Advanced Robotics?"

I put a hand on my hip. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

He laughed and held his hands up, as if he were surrendering. "I'm just saying... Y'know... You don't really seem like the type to-"

"Because I'm a girl, is that it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No, I didn't say-!"

"Well, we'll see how you feel when the screwdriver is in the other hand." And I marched off down the hall.

I could feel him looking after me, shocked.

I looked over my shoulder and found I was right. I laughed and smirked.

He shook his head, laughed, and caught up with me. "You continue to surprise me, Miss James."

I smiled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Hmm..." He looked at me, smiling back. "I guess I haven't decided yet."

**;;;;;**

We walked into the robotics lab, and I took one look at the students (or one in particular) in the class, and I was just about ready to turn around and run from the room.

"Yo, Kelsey!"

I sighed. "Hey, Reno," I mustered up.

The red-head grinned at me, raising his fist for a knuckle-bump.

I half-heartedly obliged, and he laughed.

"You never change, girl." He looked at Zack. "Who's the tall, dark-haired stranger?"

"New student," I said. "Just moved here. Reno, this is Zack. Zack, this is Reno. I think you two will get along just fine. You both like blowing things up."

"I thought I'd like you," Zack said, shaking Reno's hand.

"Welcome to the club," Reno replied.

Zack started following me away from Reno, but Reno grabbed my arm and pulled me back. He raised his hand and whispered in my ear, "Now I'm not claiming to be an expert on these things, but it seems to me...that you've got a thing for the new guy."

My face flushed red, and I balled my hand into a fist. Which I promptly brought down on the top of Reno's head.

He swore under his breath, jerking away.

"Stop making up stories about things you're not involved in," I said, "or I'll put more bumps on your head than you have hairs on it."

He chuckled, rubbing his head. "Yeah. You never change."

I gave him one last look and walked over to the empty desk next to Zack...and behind Reno.

"Miss James."

I looked up at our robotics teacher, Professor Takaoji.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you did not get physical with the other students while within the four walls of my classroom." He was facing away from the class, writing on the board.

How did he...? I didn't finish the thought, just exhaled. "Yes, sir," I said.

Reno put his hands up behind his head, tipping his chair back until his head was almost on my desk. "Well, there goes your afternoon, Kels."

I glared at him, and quickly shot my foot out to an unstable leg of his tipped chair. The chair suddenly rocked sideways, and Reno fell to the ground, muttering curses again as the chair fell on top of him.

I smirked triumphantly, but erased it from my face when Takaoji turned around. I tried my best to look innocent. "Sir, I told Reno that tipping back in your chair can be dangerous. He didn't believe me, though, and then he fell."

He looked at me for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Reno, who had just climbed back into his chair. "Reno, you would do well to listen to the advice of your peers." He turned back to the board. "Heaven knows you need all the help you can get."

Zack and I pressed our hands over our mouths, trying not to laugh.

Reno spun in his seat to glare at me, and I just grinned happily.

Zack tapped me on the shoulder, and I leaned over so I could hear him. "I definitely think you'd make an excellent accomplice."

I laughed softly. "Thanks. I like a good joke as much as the next person."

He grinned, and we sat back in our seats as class started.

**;;;;;**

After Robotics, we went to Arms and Weapons class. It was a class all about the inner workings of different guns and rockets and things, and the right technique on fashioning a perfectly balanced sword. Our first field trip was going to be to a gun range to get in some target practice.

You can imagine who was in that class, can't you? Yeah, Reno and his rookie-Turk buddies, Elena and Rude. I had no doubt in my mind that they would all be great Turks someday. But right then, in high school, they could be real pains. But none more than Reno. At least Elena and Rude _tried_ to keep him in line.

Our teacher simply asked us to call him Tseng. He was a Turk himself, it seemed. I tried to picture Tseng in charge of Reno and the others, and it almost made me laugh. I think after one week of trying to boss Reno around, Tseng would've resigned. Either that, or jumped out his office window.

The last class of the day was Dramatic Arts, which all third-years were required to take. Our teacher? His name was Genesis Rhapsodos. Rumor had it that all his classes performed the same play every year. Some bit called _Loveless_ or something.

I figured it would get pretty boring watching five or so classes perform the same play over and over, but...I was also curious to see what sort of play it was.

We didn't find out in that first class. Genesis (as he insisted on being called) just had us read excerpts from other plays so he could "gauge" which part our voices were "best suited for," as he said. It was easy to tell that he knew this play quite well, especially if he wasn't planning on holding auditions. Not to mention casting based solely on tone of voice.

"Did you do Dramatic Arts at your old school?" I asked Zack as I leaned against the closed locker next to his.

"Not much," he said, opening his locker. (He'd mastered the padlock, finally.) "Actually, I was in this skit about healthy teeth when I was in kindergarten, but I don't like to talk about it."

I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh.

He smirked at me.

"What part did you play? The cavity?"

He looked offended. "No way! I was the shiny tooth," he said proudly.

That did it. I burst out laughing.

He shook his head. "Don't spread that around, alright?"

"My lips are sealed," I said between laughs.

He rolled his eyes. "So you headed home now?"

"Yeah," I said. "My dad's got the afternoon off, and we watch murder dramas-slash-comedies for a couple hours before I get started on my homework. You headed back to your apartment?"

He laughed softly. "That's really cool. I can totally see you as a detective."

I smiled.

"And, yeah, I am. I've still got some things to unpack and stuff like that. Not to mention all this homework."

"Right," I said, nodding. "So...I gotta go catch the train. I'll...see you tomorrow?"

He nodded, smiling. "I'll be waiting at your locker."

I smiled. "Great! See you in the morning!" And I headed out of the building.

I couldn't stop smiling the whole train ride home, and I couldn't figure out why. I think maybe it was because I'd finally had a good day, and in high school. And at the Academy. Even despite Aerith and crew, Kunsel, and Reno, I managed to have a pretty okay day. And I made a friend! Maybe two others, too, if I counted those two first-years, Annie and Cloud.

I sat back in my seat, sighing happily. Why did it take five years for this to happen? I wondered. It's been so long since I've been able to laugh with someone. Scheme with a fellow trouble-maker. Talk about something other than what the homework assingment for a class was.

I adjusted the ribbon in my hair. I've got a friend, I thought. Can things get any better?

**3_3_3_3_3**

Zack turned the key in the lock, letting the door swing open on his apartment. He closed the door behind him, sighing wearily.

"What a long day," he said to himself.

He shrugged his bag from his shoulder, and tossed it on the couch as he passed by. He started going for the kitchen, but changed his mind and sat down on the couch next to his bag instead.

He stared at the blank TV screen for a few moments, then pulled a notebook and pen out of his bag. He turned to a blank page, and started writing.

_Mom and Dad,_

_My first day at Shinra Academy went great! Except I'm really tired. It's a big switch from Gongaga High, I'll tell you that! The teachers are all experts in their fields, and encouraging of their students. It's everything we heard it was and more._

_In homeroom, my teacher assigned me a friend of sorts to show me around campus and get me acquainted with the place. They couldn't have picked anyone better, in my opinion. Her name's Kelsey, and she's really something else. She seems withdrawn, detached. But she really opens up once you get her talking. She's funny and scheming and smart, not to mention a great fighter... Like I said, she's really something else. I know the two of us are going to be really good friends._

_I'd like to tell you about our adventures in all the different classes, but I'm sort of falling asleep as I'm writing this. That's probably why this line is going totally crooked. Oh, well!_

_I'll call as soon as I get the phone here figured out and tell you all about it. Hope you two are doing okay and not worrying about me too much. With my new friend helping me out, I know I'll be just fine, so don't do any of that worrying, alright?_

_I love you both! I'll be sure to send some pictures of the school soon, and of my new friends._

_Love,_

_Zack_

_P.S.: Do either of you know anything about turning people into frogs?_

**One more quick note, then I'm gone ^.^ The thing about Zack being the "shiny tooth" in the school play was inspired by the first time I ever saw Zack, which was in an AMV to the song "My Shiny Teeth and Me" from _The Fairly Odd Parents_. Go on YouTube and look it up! It's really funny and fitting. :) It's titled "Zack's Shiny Teeth - Happy Bday TheOnlyDoylie" Soyeah! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^.^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, it's update time! A quick message before I get on with replies.**

**On a couple of my stories, I've been getting some very detailed constructive criticism. While I welcome any sort of review, be it good or bad, and I thank everyone for their reviews regardless of how long or short or whatever it is, sometimes the constructive criticisms get me feeling down. I know they shouldn't, but I sometimes can't help it. Regardless, I **_**do **_**thank this constructive reviewer. They gave me some very good tips, and I will try to work harder on those points of weakness they pointed out. I want this story (as with all my stories) to be the best that it can be, and for everyone to enjoy it. So I will work harder. *bows* Thank you very much.**

**Now onto the rest of the replies!**

**Lore: HAHAHA Oops? xD Oh yay! I'm glad you say that! Sometimes I feel like I don't really know how to write him, even though he's my favorite FFVII guy, so YAY that makes me happy! hahaha THANK YOU! :)**

**Megan (run4life): I couldn't resist! XD Hahaha! Reno's a lot of fun to write ;) WHOOPS? I shall get on that right away, ma'am, yes ma'am! *salutes* Sorry...I get lazy with PM replies (which is horrible; I need to work on that...) I HAVE BEEN STUDYING JAPANESE! ...Among other things. XD Sorry to deprive you! *flings self at feet* FORGIVE ME! Eh, I've hit a bit of a roadblock with OD... But I am determined to start it up again SOON. Especially since it's one-year anniversary is coming up. Oh, how time flies... Oh gosh, ME TOO. That's why I HAD to write this story! I'd go to Shinra Academy even though Shinra was running it if I could just be in this situation! xD Marginal insanity -I love it HAHAHA! XD Well, Zack always talks about his parents a lot and such in the game, so I figured letters home were the way to go *thumbs-up* haha SHE IS MY GOSH! And I have no reason to be upset at this since I'm writing her this way, buuutyeah. haha Turks gone bad -oy vey. hahaha Yay Cloud! ^.^ I dunno if the girl I based Annie on knows she's in this story. Hmm. I should probably tell her XD I shall read more on "Fearless" very soon! I have some free time this weekend, so yay! haha Thank you so much! Your review made me so happy ^.^**

**ShatterTheHeavens: Thank you so much! heheh... It's a lot of fun to write ^.^**

**Russcull: Eep! Thank youuu! :D Seriously, right? Even if it **_**is**_** run by Shinra! haha**

**SoupieLuv: Here it be! The waiting is over! haha Thank you so much!**

**Now on with the story! Enjoy!**

**-Chapter 4-  
**_**or, Making Plans**_

Just as Zack promised, he was waiting by my locker the next morning. And for several mornings after.

I didn't sit alone at lunch anymore. I sat with Zack and Cloud and Annie...and Reno, Rude, and Elena. Yeah, they gravitated toward our table after about three days. I didn't mind. They weren't as bad once you got to know them. I think they just came off as totally weird and crazy to put people off and find out who could stand them at their worst. But that was just a theory. Plus time together with them gave me more opportunities to plot with Elena about pranks to pull on Reno.

Suddenly, things are changing, I thought one afternoon in the cafeteria. I have friends, Aerith and her crew are becoming easier to ignore... Heck, I've already got pictures in my locker of me and my friends! Why did I have to wait five years for this to happen? Oh, who cares! At least it finally happened!

I may have been a loner, and acted like I wanted things to stay that way, but that wasn't true. I wanted friends. I was practically desperate for them. Now I had a good-sized group of them. I was happy. I really was.

And the weeks passed that way. I guess Aerith was a little off in her time prediction about Zack. Her prediction wasn't totally wrong, though... But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

**;;;;;**

About a month after the school year started, my parents posed an interesting question at the breakfast table (as I walked by, of course).

"Kelsey?"

I stopped and looked at my dad. "Hmm?"

"Might I ask you something?"

"Sure, Dad," I said. "What is it?"

"Well, this friend of yours... Zack, is it?"

"Yeah, that's him," I said.

"Why haven't we met him yet?"

I blinked at them in surprise. "Uh...did you...want to meet him?"

"Oh, could we?" Mom asked excitedly. "He sounds like such a good friend to you, and we want to meet him."

Mike burst out laughing. I swear, I thought milk was going to start dripping from his nose. "You mean Weirdo actually made a friend?"

I raised my fist, threatening to clock him, but he just smirked.

"I have..." I thought for a moment, counting quickly. "...six friends, thank you very much!"

"And how much are you paying them?"

"I will kill him," I said to my parents, pointing at Mike. "He is a dead person."

"Mike, stop making fun of your sister," Mom said.

He shrugged and turned back to his cereal.

I exhaled.

"So why don't you invite him over, honey?" Mom asked me. "It'd be nice to meet your friend."

I bit my lip, shifting my weight to my other foot. "Um...well, I'll ask him."

"Good enough for us," Dad said, taking a drink of coffee from his mug.

I nodded. "See you after school, then."

"Bye, kiddo," Dad said.

"Have a good day, sweetie," Mom said.

"Love you," I called over my shoulder. And I walked out of the house yet again.

They want to meet Zack? I thought. But why? I mean, it's not like when Ginny was bringing home a new boyfriend every week, claiming he was "The One." Yeah, Rufus and her have been together for a while now, but still... Why do they want to meet Zack? Are they suspicious that I have a guy as a friend? Now that I think about it, I have more guy than girl friends! How weird is that?

Zack noticed something was off with me (a.k.a. something was on my mind) when I got to school. He asked about it as we were headed to lunch. "What's that face?"

I looked at him. "What face?"

He looked at me for a moment, studying my face, apparently. "You just look like you're thinking about something. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine," I said.

He kept looking at me.

I sighed. "Okay, my parents said something to me this morning that I thought was sort of...well, out-of-the-blue."

"What'd they say?" he asked.

I glanced at him, then looked at the floor, trying to tuck a too-short strand of hair behind my ear. "They, uh... They said they wanted to meet you. Since we're friends and all."

To my surprise, he smiled. "I'd love to meet your family! Now I can see first-hand just how horrible your siblings are."

I looked at him. "You... You'd really be okay with that? It's not weird or anything?"

"Why would I think it's weird?" he asked, laughing a little. "They're your parents, we're friends, and I'm guessing they just want to make sure I'm not being a bad influence on you or anything."

I laughed once. "Ha! No, I have Reno for that."

We both laughed.

"So, um... Maybe you could just come hang out after school or something?" I said. "We have a quiz in Materia Fusion on Friday. We could study or something..."

"Sounds good to me! And I'm gonna need all the help I can get on that quiz. So today's Wednesday... How 'bout tomorrow afternoon?"

"Okay," I said. Then I exhaled. "Wow, I have no idea why I got so worked-up about that."

He laughed softly. "Kelsey, you just gotta learn to chill."

"I will once I figure out how to retaliate the latest Reno prank."

He'd stuck a dead snake in my locker. By the time I found it, it was really starting to smell, and, though I wasn't afraid of snakes, it had scared me all the same. Plus I wasn't the type to go around just picking up dead, smelly snakes.

Zack laughed. "Yeah, but I think you maybe got your revenge with what you did with the snake."

I'd found Reno, sneaked up on him, and stuffed the snake down the back of his shirt.

I laughed at the memory of the terror on Reno's face and his scream as he ran down the hallway. "That was just for starters. I gotta come up with something better..."

"Hmm," Zack said, thinking. "Maybe we could do some planning on that tomorrow afternoon, too."

"Excellent idea. Then we know he won't overhear," I said.

We both laughed again.

"Are you two talking about me again?" Reno asked as we took our customary seats at our lunch table.

"Of course not, Reno," Zack said.

"Whatever would give you that idea?" I asked.

Reno gave me a look. "Seriously, you expect me to believe that you're not going to try to get revenge for the dead snake?"

I waved my hand in front of me, putting a serious, mature look on my face. "Oh, Reno, I'm above petty games like that."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You are not..."

I smiled. "No, I'm not. But don't worry about it. I pretty much got my revenge already anyway."

He shuddered, reaching his hand down the back of his shirt. "Three days later, and I can still feel that slimy sucker on my back."

I laughed. "Next time, get a less-rotted snake."

"Okay," he said. "Next time, I'll put a live one in."

I smirked. "Then prepare to be bitten by the very same snake, Reno."

He looked at me. "You wouldn't."

"I would," I said, grinning. "I'm not afraid of snakes, and I know just which spot on the underside of their jaw to touch to make them bite."

His eyes widened. He knew I was serious.

I just grinned.

He turned to Rude. "What sort of reptile could we stick in there that she couldn't make bite me?"

Rude shrugged, clearly bored with Reno's pranks. "Why don't ya ask the reptile expert?" he said, pushing his sunglasses (that he always wore, no matter what) up on his nose and nodding at me.

I grinned at Reno, who sighed and turned back to his lunch.

"You're taking all the fun out of these pranks, Kels."

"So play them on someone else." I glanced at Elena, who was catiously poking at her food, as if she were afraid it was going to jump off her tray and try to eat her face. (I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if it had done just that. This _was_ Shinra Academy, after all.) "Like Elena."

Reno's eyes widened again. "Nooo way, yo!" He leaned across the table and whispered, "Laney'd kill me if I played even the most harmless of pranks on her! She hides a dagger in her sock!"

"How do you know?" Cloud asked.

Reno shuddered. "I don't even like thinking about it..."

Rude shook his head. "He saw the sheath on her ankle when she took her shoes off."

We looked down the table at Elena.

She put a forkful of food in her mouth, then looked at us, the end of her utensil still in her mouth. "What?" she asked, chewing her food. She swallowed. "Why're you all looking at me like that?"

Strangely enough, I believed that Elena _was_ the type of girl to hide a dagger in her sock. It was just how she was. I knew she'd be an awesome Turk one day.

"So you're seriously not afraid of snakes, senpai?" Annie asked me.

"Nope," I said. "Not any reptiles at all, really. If Reno put a gila monster in my locker, I'd pick it up and call it cute."

"Seriously?" Zack asked, smiling.

"Seriously!" I said. "I happen to think gila monsters are adorable, even scaly and death-grip-biting as they are."

"I wish I weren't afraid of reptiles," Annie said, sighing.

Her mother was a zoologist, and was crazy about all things creepy-crawly. Unfortunately for Annie, she hated creepy-crawly.

"And bugs, and all that other stuff," she continued.

"Everyone's afraid of something," I said. "Reno's afraid of Elena, Rude's afraid of breaking his sunglasses, Elena's afraid of bad cafeteria food, and I'm afraid of getting detention for pulling a totally harmless prank on a friend."

Reno shot me a look and I laughed.

"As for Zack and Cloud... I dunno what they're afraid of."

Zack folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not afraid of anything." He looked at Cloud. "And neither are you, right, Cloud?" he asked, bumping Cloud with his shoulder.

"Uh, um," Cloud stuttered, surprised by Zack's nudge. "Uh, sure, senpai. Whatever you say."

I didn't believe Cloud for one second (honestly, I wasn't sure if I believed Zack either), but Cloud was just the kind of guy you didn't call on things like that. He was too sweet and fidgety for you to say something like, "Uh, yeah right! Cloud, you are too afraid of stuff!"

Unless you were Reno, of course. Luckily, Elena kicked his shin under the table before he could get a word out. I laughed a little at the pained expression on his face, the glare he shot at Elena, and the innocent "What'd I do?" look on Elena's face. It was just classic.

A typical lunch period, really.

I went home that afternoon feeling nervous all over again. Yep, about Zack coming over. I was wondering what my parents would think. That my closest friend was a guy, I mean.

Well, whatever they think, I told myself, it won't change the fact that we're friends. Friends and nothing more.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Zack wrote another letter to his parents when he went home that afternoon.

_Kelsey told me today that her parents want to meet me. She thought that was weird, but I don't think it is. Do you? I mean, you guys always wanted to meet my friends when I told you about them. Anyway, we're going to her house after school tomorrow to study for our Materia quiz...and possibly plan a new prank to play on Reno. Kelsey still wants revenge for the dead snake in her locker. I can't really blame her. Dead or alive, planted snakes are perfectly understandable grounds for retaliation. At least, that's what she told me._

_Like I promised, I'm putting in some pictures the six of us have started taking around school. Annie took most of them, since she mostly prefers to be behind the camera than in front of it, but she's in a couple of them, too. I wrote on the backs of 'em so you'll know who's who and what we're doing._

_I still can't figure out how to get the stupid phone set up, but I'll let you know when I do get it figured out. Hmm, maybe I should ask Kelsey for help? She'd probably know. Seems there's nothing she doesn't know. Seriously, she's that smart. Sometimes I wonder why she even wants to be friends with me. Then she trips over her own feet, or runs into an open locker door, and I laugh and forget about whatever doubts I might have. Then she puts on her annoyed / mad face, and I laugh even harder because I know, deep down, she doesn't mean it._

_Strangely enough, I want to introduce you to her. I think you'd like her. Maybe over summer break, we can come out to Gongaga to visit. That'd be fun!_

_Getting a little ahead of myself there, as usual. For now, here's the pictures, and I'll be sure to ask Kelsey how to hook a phone up._

_I love you,_

_Zack_

_P.S.: When you're talking about a girl who's your friend, is she still a girlfriend? Or a girl friend? I'm usually not much of a grammar freak, but in this case..._

Zack folded up the letter and stood from the couch. He walked over to the kitchen counter, where the envelope he'd already addressed was waiting for the letter. He put the paper inside, then picked up the stack of photos he was sending along with it. He smiled to himself as he flipped through them. Annie was quite the sneaky photographer. But, then again, so was Kelsey.

There were pictures of the two of them looking through textbooks, trying their best to actually look studious. A picture of them trying to get his tempermental locker open. A picture of Annie and Cloud sitting next to each other in the quad, Annie pointing something out to Cloud in his book and in her book and the same time (Cloud looked quite confused). Reno, Rude, and Elena -Reno mugging for the camera, Rude sighing, and Elena rolling her eyes.

Zack's favorite, though, was one of Kelsey. She was holding up her notebook, which was open to a page where she'd written an equation. The equation said: "1 dead snake + 1 Reno = 2 much girly screaming". She looked at it as if it were the most important equation ever written. Right after that, Reno had tried to steal her notebook to get rid of the "cursed formula," but she'd said to him that she'd just write another copy and have it distributed all over the school if he did. Of course, she'd used bigger, more complex words than that. Zack thought it was her vocabulary that made Reno give up, not the threat of possibly ruining his "reputation as a guy," which was what he was always saying about the things Kelsey threatened to do, whether he understood them or not.

Zack laughed softly and shook his head, tucking those photos and several others into the envelope.

I think you would like her, Mom and Dad, he thought, sealing the envelope. I really think you would.


End file.
